The effects of domestication on cerebellar morphology and brain composition: comparing wild rats (Rattus norvegicus) to laboratory rats

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dc.contributor.authorWilliams, Lauren A.
dc.contributor.authorUniversity of Lethbridge. Faculty of Arts and Science
dc.contributor.supervisorIwaniuk, Andrew N.
dc.date.accessioned2018-08-01T17:13:15Z
dc.date.available2018-08-01T17:13:15Z
dc.date.issued2018
dc.degree.levelMastersen_US
dc.description.abstractThe laboratory rat, the domestic version of the wild Norway rat (Rattus norvegicus), is an important model organism in scientific research. Like other domestic mammals, laboratory rats have smaller brains than their wild relatives. Little is known, however, about the effects of domestication on cerebellar morphology or the underlying changes in cellular composition responsible for such intraspecific variation in brain morphology. Here, we compared cerebellar morphology and brain composition in wild rats and two domestic laboratory strains: Long-Evans and Sprague-Dawley. In the cerebellum, we found that all strains had similar Purkinje cell numbers, but wild rats had a higher degree of foliation and larger Purkinje somas than Long-Evans rats. Next, we used isotropic fractionation to test for differences in brain composition across strains. We found that brain composition differs between laboratory and wild rats, but that the effects of domestication vary across strains and brain regions.en_US
dc.embargoNoen_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10133/5178
dc.language.isoen_USen_US
dc.proquest.subject0317en_US
dc.proquestyesYesen_US
dc.publisherLethbridge, Alta. : Universtiy of Lethbridge, Department of Neuroscienceen_US
dc.publisher.departmentDepartment of Neuroscienceen_US
dc.publisher.facultyArts and Scienceen_US
dc.relation.ispartofseriesThesis (University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Arts and Science)en_US
dc.subjectNeuroscienceen_US
dc.subjectDomesticationen_US
dc.subjectPurkinje cellsen_US
dc.subjectNeuronsen_US
dc.subjectIsotropic Fractionationen_US
dc.subjectRattus norvegicusen_US
dc.subjectRats as laboratory animalsen_US
dc.subjectRattus norvegicus -- Hybridization -- Researchen_US
dc.subjectDomestication -- Researchen_US
dc.subjectBrain -- Size -- Researchen_US
dc.subjectCerebellum -- Size -- Researchen_US
dc.subjectRats -- Nervous system -- Researchen_US
dc.subjectCerebral cortex -- Size -- Researchen_US
dc.titleThe effects of domestication on cerebellar morphology and brain composition: comparing wild rats (Rattus norvegicus) to laboratory ratsen_US
dc.typeThesisen_US
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